‘I picture the Tor everyday – this time really paid off’

Meet Michelle Cowbourne – the photography hobbyist whose daily climb up Glastonbury Tor paid off with a picture seen by millions.

Locally she is well known and has an X following of about 57,000 – but many more people saw her work for the first time on 10 May, thanks to the Northern Lights making a rare appearance in the UK.

Michelle captured the Grade I listed monument, in Somerset, under the rare Northern Lights illuminating the night sky.

“I will remember that night and the very palpable energy for the rest of my life,” she told the BBC.

Stargazers across the world saw the spectacular sight, also known as aurora borealis, because of one of the strongest geomagnetic storms for years hit Earth. The last time that happened was in 2003.

It was so strong the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare solar storm warning.

Michelle said: “It was quite surreal as the colours started to form and the light pillars started to form as if they were dancing.

“The people up there were in total awe and it went very quiet as people just stared at the spectacle in the sky.”

She said the public response had been “amazing” after the photo went viral on social media and “a lot of orders have come in since”.

“I was blown away because it’s not my speciality, I don’t even have the right lenses for night photography as that’s not how I started… but I guess it goes to show you don’t need the most expensive kit.”

The Tor’s monument, called St Michael’s Tower, has huge spiritual significance but its full history has never been solved.

“Glastonbury is a special place, lots of people travel all over the world to go up there,” Michelle said.

“There’s a special energy up there that most people can feel.

“I find it a very mindful, relaxing place to go up there and forget all your worries in the world.

“Be connected with yourself and the ground. It’s a beautiful place. Even in the rain it can be special, you get it to yourself.”

Michelle started photographing the Tor five years ago as a hobby, and now gets up at 04:00 most days to capture sunrises.

She can boast about routinely seeing the small, changing details of the Tor and its landscape through the lens of time.

She said: “On misty days I thought it would be nice to capture and catalogue it, so I got myself a camera and it started from there.

“I saw the changes in the light, season, and how the scenery changed with it. Each month obviously the sun rises in a different place.

“To catalogue it through the seasons is amazing to watch.”

Michelle moved to Glastonbury nine years ago after staying in the town while at the the music festival.

She sells photographs of the Tor online and in market stalls, and on Saturday opened her first shop in Market Place – replacing Jon’s Jewellers, which had been there for 50 years.

“It [Glastonbury] can be a bit Marmite, some people don’t bond with the place but a lot of people do.

“I came to visit here and I thought ‘I’ve just got to live here’. I love the Tor, town, people and atmosphere.”